Recorder head



Oct. 2Q, 1953, R. A. ISBERG 2,656,420

RECORDER HEAD Filed June 23, 1945 VFICLI.

FIG. 2.

I INVENTOR REUBEN A. ISBERG BY MLLW ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 20, 1953 UNITED 'REUQRDER HEAD :Renhem .A.,:Isberg,=1 LynbrooksN; iYiaassiglmr-zdm :t-he- UnitedaStates:0fiAmericasassliepresentcd bx." thasecretary oftheiNayy Application June-"23;;1945," S'e'riaiNbi 6011;157

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This invention relates tor:improvements; inaaz.

magnetic recorder head, andimorei'particularly to. an improved. arrangement for:lubricatingithe steel" recording: tape.-

In a special. application; very audicrzzfrequencies' are required. to be recorded: "on: a steel:

tape -.which: in .turn requires good: contact. be-

tween the recording: jawsiand; thei tape'.v Dry friction" andr'dirt w0uld;:in aushort: time; prevent: prope1'.::engagement of the recording jaws 3 with. the :tape; Lubricants; onthe; tape stripped by-the. jaws would; collect; dirt; and-in drainingv downthe: Jews would: cause jamming. of the: movable. parts.

It isthe object-of; this invention: to provide.

animproved, economical cleaning and lubricating system for magnetictapefrecorderss In .the ipriorcart; steel itapes .ha-ve beeniused in.

magnetic recorders-1 with .recording: iawsespringr urged against ;the. tape;.-.oneorboth of: v theajaws being pivoted below. the .tapeeengaging point. A. lubricant was app1iedto.-the-.- tape;- to..- reduce.

friction and the formation-pf.burrsomthejaws. The lubricant and. dirt on; the; tape. would be partly stripped by thejaws, drain.do.wnwar,d, and.

cause. sticking. ofathe pivoted elements. JIhe oil I. remainingon the tape .tendedto. spatter and .to., cause the tape to..collect...dirt. All. theroilj was wasted.

According to this. invention, the. pivot. offlthejaws is arranged above. thetapeso that the. lllblicant indrainingdoes .not' reachQthepivots: The.

tape passes. between... cleaning and. lubricating wicks before and after reachingfthe. jaws, ,so.'that dirt. iskept away from the recordin Jaws andlthe tapev is kept oiled. The fluid which 'isapplied to,.the tape by the "wicks is partly scrapedioff by thejaws and. drips into a tray below; Thistcontains portions of the Wicks,jwhich carrythe'oil back to the lubricating'pointl Most-of the oil not scraped ofi the tape; by the 'jaws-"is*collectedby additional wicksand" drains --into thetray;

In the drawings;

Fig; lshows a perspectivefview-ofithe'recording head with'its topomitted; and

Fig. 1 2 shows a fragmentary enlarged --'view;

partly in section; of the-record tape and the -re-- cording jawstaken on line- 2 2 of Fig." 1.

Plates I0 and 'inFigi l areslotted to permit threadingof tape l4 through the head. A plate" 28 is'rigidly joined to the plates "band; 12, this assembly being-removable fromthe recorder asaunit. Plate is is recessed to provide an oil tray' 22; the bottom of'whi'ch slopes toward "the=-plate- 5 l2 through which 'the tapeenters the=- recorder head.

plurality of jaws" 2 6 and" 2B are usually in'-- Y cluded in the:- head for recording, erasing and biasing the tape; (Only one-pair is shown.) At least one jaw-:of 'each pair ismovably supported byw 'the removable top plate- (not'sh'own), being pivotedat '32. "Both'jaws-are shown pivoted, and

are urged-against the'tape by a spring 30. Coil 33 energizesoris' energized by the tape.

' Wicks areprovided'forcleaning and lubricating tape as it enters and leaves-the recorder head.

"Wi'ek 34 *is moderately 'saturatedwith: oil and" its function is-to wipe .dirtfrom the tape as it enters, Wick- '36 'is thoroughly." saturated. its lower end extending to the bottom of tray 22: which contains a' small amount 'of'oil'. Wick 38 is dry wheninserted; but; as itwipes remaining oil from the tape: 4', 5 it gradually becomes saturated and this excess oil"'drains=.down thewick" which extends into tray 22. G'il 'from-wick38'Jdrains down the tray" 2 2='-to be-reabsorbed by wick 36. Wick 40 "is -dry an'd its function is to wipe the remaining oil' from the tape as thewi'ck 38* becomes moderately saturatedi In the courseof operation; wick: 40 is replaced 'whenever it becomes ap- JEachof the-wicks is held on the -respective end. plates l 0i=and'l 2*by retainers 42. These: are provided withfspring': tongues 44 which press the wicks *firmly againstithe recording tape M;

In' operation; the'tape" l4ffis wiped clean,-oiled and wiped .free' ofYoil" byi'the-wi'cks as described above. Additionally; the recording "jaws scrape Y a apm'ti'oniof thei oil from the tape. This oil" drips direetlwintoi tray 2 Znandr drains toward wick 3 6 forF-reapplicatiom to? the tape; Since the oil scraped from the tape does notpass the pivotof the=*recordingv jaws, these are not clogged b'y residue irr'theioil... As-shownxinrFig. 2; the width otrthe recording jaws 26.and .28 is less thanv that of-the tapei'so that-aiportion' ofthe oil remains on" the tape after iti passesaeachzof 'theijaws; This .Certa'in variations in matters of detail "have:

been contemplated in" the aboveedescribed em bodimentr- A nonabsorbenty lubricant resistant substance such as neoprene may be substituted for wicks 38. In mobile use of the recorder sloping tray 22 is preferably lined with absorbent material, and this may take the form of a horizontally extended portion of wick 36.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent and claim is:

1. In a magnetic tape recorder head for use with a movable recorder tape, spaced guiding means for said tape, means associated with one of said guiding means for lubricating said tape, means associated with the other of said guiding means for wiping said tape, and relatively pivoted intelligence transferring jaws operatively associated with said tape, said jaws being between said guiding means, said jaws having pivoting means above said tape.

2. In a magnetic tape recorder head for use with a movable recorder tape, spaced means for lubricating and wiping said tape, and pivoted intelligence transferring jaws between said means operatively associated with said tape, said jaws having pivoting means above said tape,

3. An improved magnetic tape recorder head for use with a movable recorder tape comprising, a pair of end walls each having a slot for the tape, wick means adjacent the slots and adapted to em brace the tape, an open-top tray between said end walls, the wick means having extensions into the tray, a pair of depending recording jaws at least one of which is pivoted above the point at which it is adapted to engage the tape, whereby the tape is cleaned and lubricated as it enters the recorder head through a slot in one wall, is stripped of excess oil as it leaves the recorder head at the other wall, and the fluid stripped from the tape by the recording jaws drains into the tray without passing the pivot.

4. In a magnetic tape recorder head for use with a movable recorder tape, a pair of spaced end walls each having a slot for permitting pas sage of said tape, an open top tray disposed between said walls and in spaced relation to said slots so as to be under the portion of said tape included between said slots when said tape is passed through said slots, wick means depending into said tray and associated with one of said slots for lubricating said tape, wick means depending over said tray and associated with the other of said slots for wiping said tape, a pair of intelligence transferring jaws for engaging said tape, and means pivotally supporting at least one of said jaws, said supporting means being located so as to be above said tape when said tape is passed through said slots.

5. In a magnetic tape recorder head for use with a movable recorder tape, means for lubrieating said tape with a lubricant, recording jaws engaging said tape and removing some of said lubricant, means for wiping said tape to remove more of said lubricant, and means operatively associated with said lubricating means, said recording jaws and said wiping means for transferring a portion of the lubricant removed from the tape by said recording jaws and said wiping means back to said lubricating means.

6. In a magnetic tape recorder head for use with a movable recorder tape, means for lubrieating said tape with a lubricant, recording jaws engaging said tape and removing some of said lubricant, means for wiping said tape to remove more of said lubricant and a reservoir operating associated with said lubricating means, said recording jaws and said wiping means for holding the lubricant, the lubricant for lubrieating the tape being supplied to said lubricating means by said reservoir, the lubricant removed from the tape by said recording jaws and said wiping means being returned to said reservoir.

7. An improved magnetic tape recorder head for use with a movable recorder tape comprising, first and second end walls, said tape entering said head at said first end wall and leaving said head at said second end wall, said first and second end walls being formed with first and second slots, respectively, for holding said tape and for allowing said tape to pass therethrough, first and second wick means disposed adjacent the first and second slots, respectively, and adapted to embrace said tape, a tapered, open tray disposed between said end walls in spaced relation to the slots therein so as to be beneath said tape when said tape is passed through said head, said tray being deeper at said first end wall than at said second end wall, said first and second wick means depending into said tray along the sides of the end walls, and a pair of depending intelligence transferring recording jaws adapted to engage said tape, at least one of said jaws being pivoted above the point at which said jaws are to engage said tape, said tray being adapted to serve as a reservoir for a lubricant whereby, when said tray contains a quantity of lubricant lower than a predetermined quantity only said first wick means depends into said lubricant and whereby, when said tape is passed through said recorder head, said tape is lubricated and cleaned by said first wick means as said tape enters said recorder head, is stripped of a portion of the lubricant by said recording jaws, which stripped lubricant drips into said tray and is stripped of the lubricant not stripped by the recording jaws by said second wick means as it leaves the recorder head, the lubricant absorbed by said second wick means dripping into said tray.

8. Apparatus or claim 7 and third and fourth wick means disposed adjacent said first and second walls, respectively, at the sides thereof opposite said first and second wick means, said third and fourth wick means being also adapted to embrace said tape, said third wick means being adapted to wipe any foreign matter from said tape before said tape enters said first wick means, said fourth wick means being adapted to wipe off excess oil, if any, not removed by said second wick means.

9. In a magnetic tape recorder head for use with a movable recorder tape, a first wick for uniformly lubricating said tape with a lubricant, recording jaws engaging said tape and removing some of said lubricant, a second wick for wiping said tape to remove more of said lubricant and a reservoir operatively associated with said first and second wicks and said recording jaws and holding the lubricant, the lubricant for lubricating the tape being supplied to said first wick by said reservoir, the lubricant removed from the tape by said recording jaws and said second wick being returned to said reservoir.

10. In a magnetic tape recorder head for use with a movable recorder tape, means for lubricating said tape with a lubricant, recording jaws engaging said tape, said recording jaws removing some of said lubricant, and means 0;:- eratively associated with said lubricating means and said recording jaws for transferring back to said lubricating means a portion of the lubricant removed from said tape by said recording jaws.

11. An improved magnetic tape recorder for use with a movable recorder tape comprising, a pair of end walls each having a slot for the tape, wick means adjacent the slots and adapted to embrace the tape, an open-top tray between said end walls for holding a lubricant, the wick means having extensions into the tray and recording jaws adapted to engage said tape at a point between said walls and above said tray, said tape being cleaned and lubricated as it enters the recorder head through a slot in one wall, said tape being stripped of some lubricant by said recording jaws, said tape being stripped of excess lubricant as it leaves said recorder head at the other wall.

12. In a magnetic tape recorder head for use with a movable recorder tape, a first wick for lubricating said tape with a lubricant as said tape enters said recorder head, a second wick for wiping said tape to remove any lubricant on said tape as said tape leaves said recorder head, recording jaws disposed between said first and second wicks and engaging said tape, said jaws stripping said tape of some lubricant applied by said first wick, and a reservoir for holding the lubricant, said first wick depending into the lubricant, said jaws and said second wick both depending over the reservoir, whereby the lubricant for lubricating said tape is supplied to said first wick by said reservoir and the hibricant removed from said tape by said recording jaws and said second Wick is returned to said reservoir.

REUBEN A. ISBERG.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 15 1,049,170 Thomas Dec. 31, 1912 2,048,487 Begun July 21, 1936 2,029,063 Dippman Jan. 28, 1936 2,066,761 Brown Jan. 5, 1937 2,066,766 Chandler Jan. 5, 1937 20 2,140,426 Hodson Dec. 13, 1938 2,293,229 Walker Aug. 18, 1942 2,304,571 Joa Dec. 18, 1942 2,426,838 Miller Sept. 2, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 25 Number Country Date 584,276 Germany Sept. 16, 1933 

